


Broken

by teelcor



Series: Broken [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Redemption, Swearing, Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) Swears, Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)-centric, attempt at fluff, i'm giving vanitas a redemption arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:59:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teelcor/pseuds/teelcor
Summary: Having lived alone for so long, you had stopped caring about lots of things.After a being of darkness worms his way into your heart, what will you do when he disappears right after the two of you get close?





	1. Chapter 1

Y’all its been a hot minute since I’ve written a story that was from your POV, so I’m apologizing ahead of time for this just in case. (when I say a hot minute, I mean, like, 10 years give or take) Reader is female.

I’m setting this story right after BBS, and hopefully we’ll see a bridge to KH3 (after I finish it and see where the story has gone of course).

 

 -----------

 

You lived alone. Your world had been swallowed by darkness long ago. Well, that's what you thought anyway. It  _had_ been a long time. 

You lived on a small island in the sea of stars between the worlds. You remember waking up here, memory a bit fuzzy. But the nightmares that followed made sure you didn't forget. So, you lived on.

A modest house, a simple yard, a broken Keyblade, you were content to stay there and not bother with the fate of the worlds anymore. To be alone and to be left alone, you followed a daily ritual of monotony. You had crash landed here years ago, and time didn’t seem to flow normally here either. A day could pass here and a year or two would pass outside. So be it.

 

Today was just like any other. Watering the flowers, watching the stars, checking on the crops for your food, all that. It was a slice of paradise hidden away. Wild animals were your only companions, for which you were grateful. It was a lovely day, the sun was shining, a gentle breeze blowing. You were lounging in a chair outside of your house when a falling star caught your eye. You watched it with quiet curiosity, the light twinkling in the brightness of day, before realizing that it was heading closer to your abode.

“Shit.” That could only mean one thing. You sighed deeply, casting a glance at your rusting keyblade by the door. Not that it was of any use, the blade broken in half. Half the reason you were still here, actually, was because it _was_ broken, and you couldn’t use your armor to leave. Your master was probably long since dead anyway with the passage of time beyond the edges of this world.

With a slightly uninterested gaze, you watched as the falling star grew bigger and bigger, watching it fall to the ground probably a mile or so away from your house. You started tapping your leg nervously.

…

With an annoyed groan you stood up, beginning to make your way to where the ‘star’ had landed. Might as well go see what poor soul had ended up here with you.

 

-.-.-.

 

You blinked. This was definitely a larger than normal crater. You stood on the edge of it, smoke still rising from various places within. Blowing a piece of hair out of your face, you shook your head at yourself.

“I’m probably going to regret this.” You muttered to yourself as you began to descend into the crater, heading towards the middle. Being alone so long, talking to yourself was a normal thing. How else were you going to discuss things with yourself?

Falling stars were a normal occurrence, but usually it wasn’t anything worthwhile. This world was off the normal charts, and in the time that you had been there you hadn’t encountered anyone else. Something about this star though was off and you couldn’t quite place it. You just _knew_ someone else had fallen here. Making your way deeper into the crater, you found out you were right.

The young man laying in the center was still smoking, his eyes shut; most likely he was unconscious after that fall. You were alone but you weren’t dead, and you appraised him as such. He was beautiful, if not a little worse for wear. Dark spiky hair, a nearly perfect face, and the bodysuit he wore didn’t leave hardly anything to the imagination. It was as though it had been made specifically to show every sinew of muscle on him, and it did so quite well. However, he looked as if he had been through the ringer once or twice, with cuts and scrapes all over him. You felt something in the back of your mind screaming at you to get away, but you ignored it. You leaned forward a bit, trying to get a better look at his face-

His eyes snapped open, making you jump, and before you knew it you found yourself on your back, being pinned down with one hand and a terrible looking keyblade under your throat, the man on top of you. Despite the alarms ringing in your mind, you were strangely calm. (being alone can do that to people sometimes, you supposed)

“Where am I?” his voice was about what you had expected; low, somewhat sultry, unexpectedly attractive. His eyes were what did you in though. Golden irises alight with fury, something so beautiful but so at war with what he was doing. “Who are you?” You felt the edge of the keyblade press harder against your neck, and for some reason you started to laugh. The man blinked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

“Ha ohmygod I’m sorry…” you snorted, closing your eyes for a moment, smiling to yourself. You opened your eyes again, smiling up at the stranger as though he wasn’t on top of you threatening you at the moment. “Welcome to…well, nowhere.” The man ‘tsk’d’, growling at you.

You shouldn’t have found that hot but whatever.

“What do you mean, _nowhere_?” his voice was full of venom, and you sighed, leveling him with a stare.

“If you’d get off me I could show you.”

“Not happening.”

“So you like being on top then?” he blinked.

“ _What_?”

“Oh so you’re one of _thoooosssseeeee_. Got it. I wouldn’t mind being on bottom if you were on top.” You winked at him, and the man jumped off of you, his keyblade still pointed at your heart however, but you seemed to have sufficiently confused him.

“ _Who **are** you_,” his voice was strained, his breathing a little labored (hohoho, you saw how it was), “ _And where **am I**?”_ despite the strain, you had no doubt this man was dangerous with the way he was looking at you.

Should not have been a turn on. Should not.

You sighed, getting to your feet, dusting yourself off, taking mild note of the keyblade mere inches from your chest.

“My name is /name/,” you said, making eye contact with him again. God he was beautiful. Why was he beautiful. “And here…? Its like…” you paused, because you hadn’t really thought about it before. “…a world between worlds.” The man didn’t say anything for a moment, his golden eyes still glaring at you. You gave him the most innocent smile you could muster. “Care to stay a while?” you reached forward, aiming for his keyblade, to which he promptly smacked your hand away with it, bringing the tip back up to rest under your chin.

“You’re not afraid of me.” he seemed genuinely confused. You shrugged.

“Probably because I don’t care to be.” You said nonchalantly, to which he blinked again. “Listen pal, this world is weird. You’re the only other person I’ve seen in who knows how long. You also look like you could use some help-“

“I don’t need anyone’s help.” He practically spat, and you raised your hands in defense.

“Alright, whatever.” And with that you decided to turn and walk away.

“Where the fuck do you think _you’re_ going?” Before you could blink he was in front of you, the keyblade pressing into the soft skin of your neck. He was grabbing your arm, furious for some reason, and you raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.

“Uh, I’m going _home_.”

“Did I **say** you could leave?” the grip on your arm tightened, and you rolled your eyes at him.

“If you were going to kill me, you would have done so already.” You took your free hand and gently pushed the keyblade out from under your chin, smiling sweetly at him as you did so. He seemed utterly baffled at your behavior, but the grip on your arm tightened. You looked at his hand, back to him, back to his hand, back to him. “I guess you’re coming with me.” You pushed your way past him, and he followed, the grip on your arm not lessening.

Reaching the top of the crater was a tad difficult with Mr. Stabbity Stab in tow, but you made it. You looked at him, mildly annoyed.

“Are you going to let me go?”

“No.”

“Suit yourself.” And you started the walk back to your house.


	2. Chapter 2

The walk was silent, the grip on your arm almost becoming painful.

“I call this place ‘Nowhere’.” You said to him, but he didn’t reply. So you continued. “I crashed here I don’t know how long ago anymore. Been stuck here ever since.” You glanced at him, and his golden eyes were glaring at you; you could almost feel the hatred radiating off of him.

“So if we’re going to be so cozy and all, do you have a name? Or should I just call you ‘dark, broody, and sexy’?” you asked, smirking in his general direction. The grip on your arm vanished as he moved to walk in front of you. Which you were fine with, because _damn_ was he nice to look at.

“Vanitas.” Don’t swoon, don’t swoon-

“I like it. Mysterious, like you.” He glared at you, stepping in front of you, nose within mere millimeters of yours. He was a bit taller, his frame larger then yours. The venom radiating off of him was real but all it did was invigorate you. You could see your reflection in his eyes, and felt your breath catch in your throat as he did a once over of you real quick.

“Don’t think I won’t kill you once you’ve outlived your usefulness.” His voice was low, barely a growl, but you saw the way his eyes darkened at your proximity. You hummed quietly. Apparently living alone had done a number on you because caution was thrown to the wind here.

“Oho, how frightening.” You mocked, walking around him pointedly.

 

 

Vanitas didn’t know what to make of this girl.

She wasn’t afraid of him.

She…what was she even talking about?

He was confused.

Xenahort was gone, or missing. He didn’t care.

Ventus was also missing.

Their union had been incomplete. But he did… _feel_.

He wasn’t sure.

He remembered, briefly, a time when he had been like Ventus, shortly after they had been split.

Before he had been twisted and tortured.

He could sense she was a keyblade wielder, yet she hadn’t drawn one yet, despite him raising his at her several times already since they’d met.

She walked right past him, as if he was nothing.

**He was not nothing.**

He turned around, furious with her, with his own emotions, when he saw the small house ahead.

The broken keyblade by the door.

Rusted, forgotten.

What the hell was this place?

“Welcome to Nowhere.” His eyes shot to hers as she made a mock gesture to the house. He was finding it hard to control his breathing. Didn’t know why.

He would

 

Could

 

Wanted to-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just spitting this out as I go.   
> So ends the beginning.  
> Lets see what happens.


	3. Chapter 3

Vanitas looked very much at war with himself. It was sort of hilarious. For someone who seemed very intent on killing you, you found him adorable. Well, maybe not outright killing you, but he watched you with such an intensity that almost made you uncomfortable.

Almost.

“Have you made up your mind yet?” you called to him. It appeared that whatever helmet thing he wore was busted, which you assumed he found annoying. His brows constantly furrowed, a scowl locked on that immaculate face of his, you couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like if he smiled. An actual smile, not one grinning at you in contempt or plotting something evil.

Vanitas was currently leaning against your house, his arms crossed, his cold, golden gaze following your every move. It was a little unnerving to say the least, but after a couple days you had gotten used to it. You didn’t elaborate on your question, merely turning your head to look at him. For a moment there was silence.

“About what?” came the gruff reply; you grinned. _Suckerrrrr~~_

“Oh ya know, about killing me or not.” You said casually, as though it was a completely normal thing to talk about. Despite how dangerous this man clearly was, you enjoyed him being around. Maybe not him in particular, just…having someone else around in general. You couldn’t remember the last human interaction you had before he had shown up. It had been a hot minute.

Vanitas’ eyes narrowed, his scowl deepening. He huffed, pushing himself up off the wall and walking away. _Gotcha_.

“Where you going?” you scrambled to your feet, aiming to follow him.

“None of your damn business.” And suddenly, he vanished. Your shoulders drooped, put out.

“Aww. Guess he got tired of my prodding for today.” You muttered, looking around the area to see if maybe he had just decided to hop on the roof. You had noticed he had this tendency to vanish when he got more pissed off than usual. The first few times he had done it you thought that was the end of it, that he was gone for good.

A few days later though and you thought that maybe he was sticking around because he couldn’t leave either, and he wanted company too whether he would admit it or not.

“Guess we’re back to chores…” you stretched, popping a few bones and cracking some knuckles as you headed towards the fields and the stream to tidy up the crops and collect some water. Passing by the front door, your eyes lingered on your keyblade.

…

…

Shaking your head at it, you headed off, trying to ignore the feeling that your vacation was soon to end.

\--..--..--..

 

Vanitas was off in the woods, obliterating everything he could. Unversed spawned from him in droves, and as he swung around to destroy them they came flooding back, an unending cycle of pain.

That-

That _girl_

was so

**infuriating**

but

something stayed his hand

 

He released a wave of dark energy, effectively destroying everything around him in a large circle. He stood in the center, breathing heavily, sweat forming on his forehead, angrily watching the smoke curl up in tendrils all around him.

He closed his eyes, trying to refocus.

His existence was pain.

Pain and anger and **_hate._**

If that was so, why was he questioning it now?

Xehanort was gone. Ventus was gone.

He was effectively alone. He didn’t know what to do.

His entire existence had been in pursuit of Ventus to form the x-blade.

He could feel Ventus, but he knew deep down that he wouldn’t be able to find him.

Time.

What had they said? Time flows differently here?

He could feel it. Feel the distortion around him, pulling at his seams.

If that was so, all he had to do was _wait._

 

And, maybe break the girl who lived here. She would suffice for his own torturing’s.

 

He opened his eyes, surveying the destruction. She made him-

_feel_

his body reacted in ways he didn’t understand.

He didn’t like it.

 

Or did he

 

He screamed in frustration, his cry echoing around the woods, birds taking flight in surprise. He went back to destroying things.

He would return to her later.

See what he could do to _destroy_ her. As he continued his rampage, he couldn’t help the wicked grin from spreading across his face at the thought.

 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

The sun was going down. You had retreated back to your house, having finished making and having dinner, you sat down in your modest home. It wasn’t much. But it was yours.

A small kitchen, a small living area, with a separate bedroom and bathroom. It had always baffled you why this place was here, but you didn’t question it. It had been here when you arrived, and it’ll be here after you leave. It was small and cozy, perfect for one person. It was a little strange, how there was always whatever you needed there, but you didn’t question it. Magic did stuff like that.

You looked out a window, noticing a line of smoke in the distance. Probably Vanitas destroying something. You had noticed he went out on a rampage to destroy things on occasion.

“I guess he isn’t coming back tonight.” You mused. Not that his being there would matter, he hadn’t even stepped foot inside the house. Shrugging, you turned, heading into your bedroom.

Stripping of your clothes from the day, you slipped into something a bit more comfortable. A loose t shirt, no bra, and underwear, a typical look for a typical night.

“I had wondered what was under those layers, but I hadn’t expected _this_.” Squeaking loudly, you jumped, pulling your shirt down to cover yourself, face turning red as you looked at Vanitas, who had somehow made his way to sit on your bed. He looked far too smug for your liking. You swallowed, telling your body to shut up, because the way he was looking at you was different from normal.

“Wha-you should know better than to be in a girl’s room when she changes!!” you sputtered angrily. Vanitas’ evil smirk only grew as his golden gaze raked up and down your form. He was sitting on your bed, one leg propped up, casually slouching back as if he belonged there. He should _not_ be so damn hot. Nope, no, this was _bad_ -

“Really? Learn something new every day.” His voice drawled, and you could have sworn he looked like a tiger surveying his next meal. His eyes added to that look, almost glowing in the dull light of the room. You pursed your lips, exhaling sharply. _This is just what he wants, to rile you up._ You took a deep breath, straightening up, meeting his sharp golden gaze with your own level stare.

“You’re in my bed.” You stated, crossing your arms, trying to hide your chest from his overly intense gaze. He chuckled darkly, flopping back onto your bed casually. Let it be known it’s a single bed, so he took up all of it. He put his hands behind his head, making a show of stretching. Despite yourself, you took the chance to look him over, knowing just how lean he was, wondering what it might be like to-

“I like this bed. Its mine now.” Vanitas kept one eye closed as he glanced at you, the smirk on his face never leaving. You narrowed your eyes, grumbling under your breath.

“Is that _so_?” your voice was low, glaring at him. Vanitas didn’t answer, closing his other eye, seemingly content to stay in your bed. “Fine. Have it your way.” Obviously he hadn’t expected you to join him, because that’s what you did. You sat down on the edge, scooting against him before laying down next to him, your back against his side.

“…what are you doing?” his voice was almost… _amused_. You did your best to ignore how damn _solid_ he felt against your back. Your head was right below his arm, and you felt his body heat seeping into you. It was… _nice_ …

“ _I am going to bed_.”

“This is my bed now.”

“Uh, no, its mine.”

“You going to fight me for it?”

“My guy, I am _not_ fighting you for _my_ bed.”

“So you concede defeat.”

“Wha- _no_ -“ Vanitas shifted, and you bit back a squeal as you felt him wrap an arm around you. His hand was strong, pulling you against his chest as he leaned on his side. The rising heat in your face was getting to you, feeling your heart beat stupidly fast as you felt his breath tickle your neck.

“You are _very_ interesting.” His voice was low, right next to your ear, and you swallowed nervously, not trusting yourself to talk for fear of what might come out. His chest was rock solid, and his arm was wrapped around your middle. Despite knowing in your heart that this man was almost certainly darkness incarnate, you felt this undeniable attraction to him. It was exhilarating but frightening at the same time. Mostly exhilarating.

Mostly.

“And you are _terrible_.” Your voice was lower than you had expected it to be, and you felt Vanitas chuckle darkly, feeling his lips brush over your ear, his free hand messing with your hair.

“You’re not wrong.” His voice was even lower, and you swallowed nervously, feeling heat begin to pool in your lower stomach.  “It makes me wonder…” he trailed off, his breath hot on your neck as he squeezed you against him, the flat of his stomach, the unspoken strength coiled in all his muscles, yet his feather light touch against your skin was enough to almost set you on fire. He didn’t finish his statement and, deciding to go with it (because why the hell not) you turned your head to look at him.

You were almost startled at how brightly his eyes shone at you, for once not full of anger and venom but…something else. The instincts in the far reaches of your mind smelled danger, attempting to get your attention by blaring their alarms, but the rest of your body was _not_ paying attention, nor did it care to. He was watching, analyzing you, trying to figure you out just as you were trying to do to him. Your eyes darted to his lips, mind hazingly wondering what it would be like to-

“What do you wonder?” your voice was barely a whisper, and for a breathless moment Vanitas said nothing. Instead, he ‘tsk’d’, closing his eyes and burrowing his head into your shoulder.

“Go to bed.” His voice was muffled, and you found yourself able to breathe again.  You turned your face away, wondering what in the hell had just happened, but finding that you weren’t against it happening again. Sighing, resolving yourself to the fact that he wasn’t going to let you go, you made yourself comfortable, eventually drifting off to sleep.

 

-.-.-.-.-.

 

He didn’t know what was going on.

Why was he so hot…?

Why did he want-

He _wanted_ this. This…closeness.

 

He raised his head up from her shoulder, glancing at her resting face.

He wasn’t much for sleeping.

Yet he found himself enraptured.

The way she acted when he got close.

When he _touched_ her. Even… _this_. Holding her.

It was

new.

Different.

 

Feelings-

Was this what Ventus felt?

 

No

 _He_ was feeling this

and

 

                he didn’t know what to do

but

 

he would find a way to destroy this nuisance

 

 

somehow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry ehehehehe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started a new job this week and I’ve been working alone for basically the last year so human interaction = I’m not good at anymore apparently.  
> Please enjoy-

You realized today you had been by yourself probably for a little too long for other people to really be comfortable around.

Vanitas had been gone when you woke up, leaving you alone in your little house. Realizing he wasn’t there when you woke up shouldn’t have surprised you, but it did make you a bit sad. Begrudgingly or not, it had been really, really nice to be close to a person.

“That’s fine.” You told yourself, whacking away at some weeds as the morning wasted away, “It is completely fine and I do not care that he is doing whatever or has gone and I am fine by myself.” This was usually how conversations with yourself went.

I’m definitely fine.

I got this.

I don’t care.

.......

Except maybe deep down in a hidden chamber of your heart that you had locked away who knows how long ago because of past hurts, you did care. But that teeny flame was smushed and ignored because seriously, you didn’t even know him. He had made his dislike of you obviously clear. But what about last night?

Half of you wondered why he hadn’t killed you yet.

Be that as it may, you shrugged it off and went about your work.

\-----------

“Hey there stranger,” you called to Vanitas as you noticed him sitting on your roof, “Is that your keyblade or are you just happy to see me?” not entirely sure where your snark came from, you bit your lip, waiting for the inevitable slur of derogatory terms. Luckily (or maybe not) he did have his keyblade out, lazily draping his arm across his propped-up knee, the other leg dangling from the roof.  In the late afternoon light, the sun cast lovely shadows across him, his eyes meeting yours. His expression was neutral, though, which couldn’t be very good for you.

He didn’t answer, he merely watched you as you walked closer to the house. Probably not a smart idea considering that he was on your roof and didn’t like it when you did stuff like this, but who cared. You sure didn’t.

“Ah, the silent treatment.” You mused, folding your arms across your chest and rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. “That’s cool. I’ll just keep doing my thing then-“ Vanitas jumped down from the roof, landing softly on the ground, right near your broken keyblade. He stared at it, and you felt your mouth go dry.

This couldn’t be good.

“How bad of a keyblade wielder were you for it to _break_?” his voice was dripping with disdain as he turned his head to look at you, his golden eyes challenging you. Compared to his keyblade, yours was nothing. It was broken off halfway through the blade, the handle’s decorative looks having long since rusted. Back in the day it had been pretty, and strong, but now…

“That, good sir, is none of your business.” You stated plainly, rolling your shoulders back and striding up to him, invading his personal space. His mouth curled up in a smirk, and you swallowed nervously. _Why is he so pretty. Why do I want to do things to him. Have him do things to me. Is this what happens when you live alone too long? Or maybe its just him. Because he’s gorgeous. What the fuck._ Vanitas hadn’t drawn his keyblade on you since that first day, but now you saw the spark of magic coursing around it, purple and black flames, which could _not_ be good.

“I’ll make it my business.” His voice was low, like what it had been last night when he was whispering in your ear and making you _feel_ and _want_ and _all of it was bad_. You scoffed at him, purposefully bending over right next to him to reach for the rusted hilt. You could feel his gaze, and you began to feel hot. Had it been a hot day? You didn’t think so, but-

You hesitated for just a second, but your hand curled around the handle of your keyblade like you were welcoming an old friend, and it felt heavy as you straightened back up, the broken blade glinting in the sunlight. Your chest was about three inches from Vanitas’, and you held up your blade between the two of you. He didn’t look impressed. But you expected that.

“This was Dawn.” You said quietly, feelings and memories flooding through your mind. “It broke upon my crash landing here during the battle. Haven’t been able to throw it away.” Vanitas only rolled his eyes, bringing his own keyblade up. Yours was considerably shorter.

“Mine’s longer.” You raised an eyebrow at him. _Was that…a dick joke???_

“I would hope so.” You turned away from Vanitas, fully intending to leave him be for now. However, you heard the attack before you saw it, and somehow you managed to turn around, deflecting the ball of dark fire that had been shot at you. Vanitas had this stupid smug smirk on his face, his keyblade raised, his hand out in front of him as though _mocking_ you and saying, ‘come and get me’.

“So that’s how it is?” you had a couple options. You could a) fight, and lose; b) You could run, fight, and then lose. Or you could c) do something he really wouldn’t expect.

Obviously, option c was the way to go.

You sighed, stabbing Dawn into the ground by your feet. Vanitas’ gaze faltered for a second.

“Why won’t you fight me?” he sounded confused, agitated, all of the above. You gave him a sympathetic smile as you slowly sauntered your way over to him.

“You’re too pretty to fight.” You said honestly, and he blinked, looking at you as if you were insane. Which, you might be. Oh well.

“ ** _What?_** ” He seemed…frightened, but unable to run away, because all he did was stand there and stare in bewilderment as you advanced. You shook your head gently, and as you got closer he backed up, eventually running into the wall of your house.

“Oh Vanitas. You’re so… _innocent_.”

“I-I am not!” he looked panic stricken, and you wondered why he didn’t just up and vanish like he usually did when you did something like this. He held his keyblade out in front of him, as though that would stop you. You walked right up to it, looking at it bemusedly for a moment before gently pushing it out of your way, fingertips trailing its length as you came closer. “ _What are you doing_?!” your hand stopped at the hilt, where you noticed his hand was shaking slightly. You got as close to him as you could without actually touching him, clasping your hands behind your back so you didn’t touch him without his consent (or have him rip your arms off, whichever). You looked up at him innocently, your (e/c) orbs meeting his golden ones.

“I’m asking you a question.” You said cheerfully, and he blinked. When you didn’t elaborate, he lowered his arm, his keyblade disappearing. Suddenly, a shadow of understanding crossed his face, and his unsure look was replaced with one of dark intent that set your blood alight. He grinned, and in an instant you had switched places, your back being slammed against the wall, one of his hands on the wall near your head, the other pressing into your waist.

“I’m very dangerous, you know.” His voice - _his **voice**_ \- was almost a growl, and you could feel the raw strength he was holding back as his fingers dug into your hip, his form leaning over you, his eyes bright and liquid gold and full of fire.

“Danger doesn’t frighten me.” Your voice came out quiet, husky, and his grin grew wider as he drew his face closer to yours. Your eyes darted to his lips, back to his eyes, heaven _help you,_ you wanted to bang this man like a glass door in a hurricane. Or at least have a super intense makeout session, whichever one, you weren’t picky-

“I am a being _made from darkness_ ,” his voice was still low, and you felt your stomach drop. You knew it. But… “And I _will_ destroy you, in one way…” he made a show of looking you up and down before leaning in even closer, his mouth near your ear, oh god the goosebumps and the hairs on your neck were standing on end and you just wanted him to touch you _anywhere_ \- “…or another.” Despite trying to maintain some self control, you whimpered, knowing you were already soaking wet just from him being so damn close, and Vanitas chuckled darkly, gently blowing hot air on your neck. Your eyes fluttered shut; this man was a fucking tease and _he knew it the bastard_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TO BE CONTINUED  
> I'm about to pass out and this was going to be longer but I wanted to share this with all of you and see what you thought and where you want to see this going  
> do we want more of the teasing   
> do we want story  
> or smut  
> just lemme know  
> (imma try for all 3 but YA KNOW)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo mah peeps~! Welcome to the Vanitas Corner hehehe.  
> Anyway I've been doing some research and the more I learn about Vani the more my heart aches for the guy  
> Vanitas is just as much Ventus as Ventus is, right?? He's just the sad angry negative half. Apparently all he wants is to be reunited with Ventus so his suffering ends (that is so sad omg) because being away from Ventus causes him pain (supposedly)  
> SOOOOO  
> since this is the world of fanfiction and I can do what I want  
> plus magic  
> and y'alls inputs  
> I AM GOING TO GIVE OUR MISERABLE BOY HAPPINESS
> 
> I have decided to give Vanitas /a redemption arc/  
> *fireworks and confetti and glitter*

“I am a being _made from darkness_ ,” his voice was still low, and you felt your stomach drop. You knew it. But… “And I _will_ destroy you, in one way…” he made a show of looking you up and down before leaning in even closer, his mouth near your ear, oh god the goosebumps and the hairs on your neck were standing on end and you just wanted him to touch you _anywhere_ \- “…or another.” Despite trying to maintain some self control, you whimpered, knowing you were already soaking wet just from him being so damn close, and Vanitas chuckled darkly, gently blowing hot air on your neck. Your eyes fluttered shut; this man was a fucking tease and _he knew it the bastard_.

“You are more than welcome to try.” You challenged, meeting Vanitas’ stupidly intense gaze. He still had you pinned, you were probably enjoying it way too much, and he was close enough you could see the outer line of his irises. Vanitas raised an eyebrow, flashing a cocky grin, baring rather sharp looking canines ~~(that you vaguely wondered what it’d be like if he bit you)~~. You could feel his body heat, the grip on your waist tightened, you felt yourself leaning forward slightly-

annnnnnnnnnnnnnd he was gone. In a blink. Faster than a blink.

Vanished.

You closed your eyes for a moment, trying to calm your erratic heart beat.

You opened your eyes again, gaze landing on your keyblade about ten feet away.

“Fucking hell.”

 

-.-.-.-.-.

 

_“Foreteller Gula!” you reached him in the middle of the battlefield, leaning down to help him stand up. The boy in the leopard mask smiled at you but used his keyblade to push himself to his feet. In the middle of the Badlands, nothing but war raged around you two. He tried to take a step, stumbling, and you caught him before he fell. “Gula! Hang on, we have to get you out of here-“_

_“No.” his voice was quiet, resolute. You looked at your Union leader, bloodied and bruised, still fighting for…what were you fighting for again? It felt like a bubble had appeared around you and him, and nothing else mattered._

_“Gula you need to get out of here, no one is going to win this. The world-“ Gula silenced you with a look (it was weird how he did it with a mask on but whatever)._

_“You’re right. No one is going to win this.” The battle roared and screams and shouts and the clanging of metal on metal echoed around you. The wind was whipping your hair every which way, and you found yourself unable to speak. “What was your name…?”_

_“/name/.”_

_“/name/.” Gula sighed, the grip on his keyblade tightening. A moment stretched on, and he straightened up, seemingly having decided something. “No one will win, but I can at least save one of you.” He pushed you away suddenly, raising his keyblade at you-_

 

And the ringing in your ears faded as you jolted awake. The memories and the dream flashed through your mind, making you groan and fall backwards.

“Son of a bitch.” You muttered, closing your eyes again. After Vanitas had poofed himself away to who knows where, you had been left with the lovely task of taking your keyblade and putting it somewhere.

Which, now it was leaning against the wall inside your house.

Glaring at you silently.

Making you remember things you would really rather forget.

You had passed out on the small couch in your living area, and you laid there, glaring back at the keyblade.

“It isn’t _my_ fault.” You finally said to it. “Its not like I _chose_ to come here.”

Silence.

Duh.

“Besides, if you hadn’t _b r o k e n_ we could have left ages ago.” You muttered, closing your eyes, feeling a migraine coming on. You balefully opened your eyes, looking at the window. It was nighttime now, and you could hear the wind blowing gently through the trees near the house. You vaguely wondered what had happened to all the unions after that battle. How long had it been?

 

 ---------------------------

 

Another day, another task. It had been over a month since you had last encountered Vanitas, and you assumed he was gone for good.

Didn’t you just _love_ being wrong though?

“SON OF A-DAMN IT-YOU-YOU-WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!” you fell backwards against a tree, holding your chest as though that would help calm your heart down. Speak of the devil Vanitas had snuck up behind you and whispered ‘boo’ in your ear. You had been walking through the forest, so you had definitely not seen or heard him coming. The stupidly attractive man only smirked at your reaction, his eyes of gold lingering on your face.

“Your reactions are priceless.” His voice was tinged with amusement. You glared at him as he walked closer; well, rather he prowled closer. He had invaded the bubble again. What in the HELL-

“You just enjoy seeing me flustered.” You spat back. He stopped just shy of your reach. Damn, you had forgotten how pretty he was. The long, spiky, blue black hair, the leather-ish looking bodysuit that outlined every sinew of muscle, the red lines along his chest standing out, drawing you in, the dangerous aura he gave off, his eyebrows furrowed at you, the _slightest_ hint of a smirk playing on the edges of his perfect ~~kissable~~ lips, and finally his eyes, which drew you in like a moth to a flame, his dark eyelashes long and framing his golden irises perfectly. He was without a doubt the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your life.

“Maybe I do.” His voice was a purr, his lips quirking up into a smirk, and your face burned as the butterflies erupted in your stomach.

“Listen, first off, its been a while. You could have dropped in-“

“I _did_ drop in.”

“Tch-! _LISTEN_ -“

“I _am_ listening~~” You threw your hands up in frustration.

“If you would just-“ You knew he moved faster than you could see, but before you could finish your breath he had grabbed your wrists, bringing them down behind your back, his chest pressed against your shoulder blades. You could feel some of his hair tickling your ears and neck as he leaned in closer. Was it hot? He was hot. You could feel the heat emanating from him. You tried to wiggle free but the grip on your wrists only tightened. He placed his free hand on your shoulder, and you couldn’t help but shiver at his proximity. Biting back small noises, you swallowed nervously as you heard (and felt) him chuckle darkly at your reaction.

“Now…” uggggggghhhhhhhhhhh he was speaking directly into your ear, you could feel his lips there, sonofabitch whyyyy “You’re going to tell me about the Keyblade War that you were a part of,” wait wat “and _maybe_ I’ll be nice enough to help you get off this isolated rock you call _nowhere_.”

 

and the only thing in your mind ~~(besides the desperate need to be closer to Vanitas)~~ was _what was_ _the Keyblade War?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SoOoOoOo  
> This one is weird  
> Sorry  
> I hope you like it  
> More Vanitas soon I promise


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so I added a couple sentences at the beginning of the story to fix continuity errors.  
> yay. *confetti*  
> I want to write my Axel fic but more people like this one (vanitas is so fun fufufu) sooo MOAR VANITAS YAY

“What are you _talking about_?” you breathed, Vanitas still holding you prisoner.

“Don’t be stupid. Everyone knows about the Keyblade War.”

“Um, _I don’t_.”

“How? You were part of it.”

“I…” you trailed off, your mind turning its wheels slowly.

…

…

…

“…how long ago was this…” you swallowed nervously, not sure if you wanted to hear the answer, “This Keyblade War?” Vanitas didn’t answer immediately, and you felt him start to laugh. It wasn’t a humorous laugh, more like devoid of sympathy and as if he couldn’t believe you actually didn’t know this. He shoved you away from him, and you spun turning to face him, your body in fight or flight mode. You had raised your hands up in a fighting stance (just in case) while Vanitas laughed at you.

After what seemed like ages, he calmed down, and shot you a cruel smile.

“You’re the only person alive who fought in the Keyblade War.” His tone was mocking, as he flung his hands out for dramatic effect.

“That…” you were stunned. It was if the nightmares suddenly came crashing down all at once. “That can’t be true. There had to be others.”

“Its been hundreds of years since the Keyblade War.” Memories flooded through your mind. Friends, family, even the Foretellers of each Union…

The shock made you numb. The ringing in your ears sounded again, drowning out whatever else Vanitas had to say. You staggered back, one hand on your head, falling to your knees as the reality finally hit you. Had you truly been living here scot-free for… _centuries_? It couldn’t have been more than a couple years, _at most_ , here…

Vanitas was only glaring at you, unsympathetically, and you found yourself looking up at him. The first person you had spoken to in eons, a being of darkness, came to tell you that…everything you knew, everything you had ever fought for in your past life, was gone. Meaningless.

The ringing subsided gradually, the memory of Foreteller Gula blasting you with magic so hard it shot you of the battle. The vague sensation of the worlds separating and falling and being restored; you closed your eyes, wondering how you had ever forgotten.

Wondering…how had you survived.

Alone.

With a broken Keyblade.

“…I don’t know anything about this Keyblade War.” You finally spoke, your voice quiet.

“Of course you do.” Vanitas stepped closer, kneeling down to cup your chin so you had to make eye contact. Your eyes grew hot, beginning to tear up. His gaze was too intense, reaching for the depths of your soul. “In fact, I can take you to where the battle happened.” You felt your stomach drop.

“Take me.” You breathed. Vanitas grinned, not kindly, and suddenly you found yourself in…

“What is this…? Darkness?” you were scared, rightfully so. You found yourself clinging to Vanitas’ arm, trying to hide from the darkness all around the two of you. Vanitas looked at you like one would look at an annoying bug.

“It’s a corridor of darkness. I’m able to travel between worlds with these.” He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. You continued to hold onto his arm, and the two of you made eye contact. “….what are you doing.” He raised an eyebrow at you, not understanding your actions.

“…I’m…” you cast your eyes down, unable to keep looking at him. _Why did he have to be so pretty. On the plus side, his arm…_ you were gripping his bicep, and he was _solid_. Pure. Muscle. He was lean but still solid and it would be the death of you. You were certain.

“ _Well?_ ” his voice snapped you out of your reverie of admiring his muscular build.

“Your arms are beautiful.” It spilled out before you could stop it. “All of you is beautiful. Especially your face. Has anyone ever told you that?” you changed the subject, glancing back up at him, and Vanitas’ eyes had widened as though you had just told him a life changing secret.

The darkness around the two of you vanished, and you found yourself in a barren valley. However, you were still holding onto his arm, and he was still looking at you, apparently in shock. You swallowed nervously, feeling your face redden, and you gingerly let go of him.

“Sorry….” You mumbled, and Vanitas seemed to snap out of it. He got right up in your face, his nose almost touching yours.

“ _Beautiful_?” his voice was full of hate, and you found yourself shrinking back, “Is that supposed to be _funny_?” his eyes were on fire, and for a moment you were confused, because you truly meant it. Then it dawned on you, and your eyes widened in realization. Your hands flew to your chest, your heart aching for Vanitas.

“No, not at all,” you tried your best to be as sincere as you possibly could, “Vanitas, you…are _gorgeous_.” His face was contorted in anger and confusion, as if he had never heard a compliment before. The wind blew around the two of you, dust swirling every which way. You were afraid if you looked away Vanitas might vanish.

 

\--.--.--.

 

**_What_ **

****

**_Is going_ **

****

**_on_ **

 

_Beautiful? **Gorgeous**?_

Vanitas felt-

 

He **_felt_**

He hadn’t _felt_ like this since

             Hell he hadn’t

Not since

_The early days_

Before he was                                                                  

 

                            _what_ he was

 

He stared at her, trying to understand what was going on inside him

 

\--.--.--.

 

Vanitas seemed to be trying to understand the meaning of your words, as he stood there looking completely confused and lost.

“No one….no one has ever told you?” your voice was barely a whisper, your heart breaking into millions of pieces as his silence confirmed your suspicions. “Vanitas…”

“I don’t need or want your pity.” Ah, there he was. He was back. He brushed past you, and you followed him, doing your best to keep up with his quick pace. Then, he stopped, and you saw it.

Countless keyblades, everywhere, all stuck into the ground. As far as you could see in every direction. The dirt was brown and barren, the wind kicking up dust as it blew through the graveyard.

“This is the Keyblade Graveyard.” Vanitas’ voice seemed far away as you stared, dumbfounded. “Here was where the great battle for Kingdom Hearts took place.” You shook your head at that, looking at him.

“We didn’t fight because of Kingdom Hearts.” Your voice was quiet, and you looked back out over the graveyard, not wanting to see if you recognized any of the keyblades there. “We fought because…” your voice trailed off as you tried to remember. “Ha. Its funny,” you looked back at Vanitas, who was watching you like a hawk, “I don’t remember what we were even fighting about.”

Vanitas’ eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent. You gave him a half smile, crossing your arms in front of your chest, shivering, even though it wasn’t cold.

“So you know nothing.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then _tell me what you know_.”

“Why?”

“Because-“

“Because otherwise you’ll kill me?” Vanitas’ mouth was open but no words came out as you finished his sentence for him. You shook your head at him, rocking back and forth on your feet. “Vanitas, Vanitas, Vanitas…I’ve told you before, if you wanted to kill me, you should just do it and not talk about it.”

“Maybe I will.” He glowered at you, raising his keyblade, but you only glanced at it nonchalantly.

“Do it.” You challenged. He blinked in confusion.

“What is _wrong_ with you?” his voice was barely a whisper, and your face split into a grin.

“Lots of things, I’m sure,” you waved your hand dismissively, and you turned to face him, “But, I think, we should talk about you.”

“ _Me_? _Why_ on _earth_ -“

“Because you need _love_ , Vanitas.” You stated simply. Vanitas blinked, his keyblade still raised, but you could see that you had struck a _serious_ chord with him. “I can see it. Your darkness.” You motioned to all of him, and he took a step back as though you were suddenly dangerous. “I know you don’t want my help-“ he glared at you with an obvious ‘no shit’ look on his face, “But I can help you.”

“This-you-“ he seemed very conflicted, and you noticed that his keyblade was shaking slightly. You sighed, walking over to him. “Don’t you dare come any closer-“ he pointed his keyblade at your heart, making you stop for a moment. You looked into his eyes, searching. He was panic stricken, holding the keyblade with both hands, but you wouldn’t have known it if you couldn’t see it in his eyes. _Hot damn, his eyes. They will be the death of me and it will be glorious_. So you pressed your chest into the edge of his keyblade, letting your arms hang at your sides. “What in the hell are you doing?”

“Vanitas,” you breathed, realizing you were about to bare your soul to this man who was, essentially, still a stranger to you, “I’m broken too.” You tried reaching out with your heart to his, not sure if it would work, but you could feel his aura all around you. “And sometimes, to help with that, all you need is someone to care.”

“Why would _you_ care about _me_?” he spat, the fire relighting in his face, golden orbs ablaze with fury. You shrugged.

“Because…well,” you scoffed at yourself, “I know a kindred spirit when I see one.” Vanitas’ brow furrowed even more, and you leaned into his blade, so if he wanted to all he had to do was push and you would be done. He didn’t answer, the wind howling around the both of you, his skirt billowing around him. Your hair was in and out of your face, but you didn’t care. When you had realized he had never once probably been cared about in his life…you felt something, _for_ him, beyond the physical attraction that was so painfully obvious. “And if you don’t want anything to do with me, go ahead and kill me.” His eyes widened slightly (ever so slightly), and you looked back down into the valley where the keyblades lay. The battle echoed in your ears for just a moment. “Let me die here where I should have died before.”

Seconds stretched into minutes.

Vanitas lowered his keyblade, glaring at you. You suddenly felt sad, sort of hoping he _would_ kill you so your endless monotony would end. For a moment neither of you spoke.

“Ventus…” Vanitas looked out over the graveyard, and you perked up, moving closer so you could hear him better. He seemed to be struggling to speak. “My reason for living…its gone.”

“What?! Don’t say that-“

“You have _no idea_ what its like, do you?” he whirled on you, snarling, but you stayed calm, staring coolly back at him.

“I’m not even sure what you’re talking about. Care to elaborate?” you offered, and Vanitas just stared at you in confusion.

 

\--.--.--.

 

She never flinched.

She was always… _calm_ when speaking to him.

He could feel her light.

 

 

He…

 

He _wanted_ it. He wanted to _feel_ those

               _positive_ emotions

 

He wanted the hurting to end

The pain and suffering

 

He kept telling himself, he would kill her, end her

But she would look at him with such……………….. _kindness_

It made him sick

 

But he found that he wanted more

Like he had been, before…

 

\--.--.--.

 

“If…” Vanitas’ glare lessened, “If we had become the X-blade…” you sucked in a breath; you knew what that was, “Then my suffering would have ended…”

“What do you mean, your suffering?” you asked gently, and Vanitas cast his eyes down, his keyblade disappearing.

“My existence is suffering.” His voice was so quiet you barely heard it over the wind. “Without Ventus…I can never be whole.” He looked like a lost, broken child, staring out at the Badlands around you. Any alarms that had gone off before were silent and nonexistent as you looked at him, reaching out with your heart and hoping against hope that maybe he could understand. You tentatively reached for his hand; he stiffened at your touch, his eyes locking onto yours, and you very gently intertwined your fingers with his. His hand was warm, despite the bodysuit, and you smiled at him.

“I can be broken with you, if that’s okay.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, as your eyes searched his. For several long moments, neither of you said anything. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and Vanitas stared at you as if he could see every single secret you kept. Your auras mingled, light and dark mixing together around the two of you. Something heavy passed between the both of you in that moment, and you felt a spark in your chest.

“I might destroy you.” He warned, pulling his hand away from yours, turning his gaze away. You smirked, cocking your head at him.

“I’d like to see you _try_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if I'm the only one, but if a guy has muscular arms I am immediately just .... *swoon*  
> Solid biceps, wide shoulders? TAKE ME  
> Also, did more reading on our child of darkness annnnnnd
> 
> this is the result. I tried, I did, but HE IS SO HEARTBREAKING   
> I apologize if he isn't the sadistic asshole we all know and love because this is after and he is lost and alone (again) and he will be loved


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I fixed it.  
> I hope this is better. No triggers or anything :)

Her darkness.

He could feel how _broken_ she was.

He vaguely wondered how he hadn’t been able to feel it before.

She must be a very powerful Keyblade wielder in order to hide that kind of hurt from _him_.

 

The chaos, the despair, the loneliness…it was all too familiar.

 

When she let her defenses down for just a second, baring her soul, he saw it. Felt it.

 

She _did_ understand.

 

                  and he didn’t know how to react to that.

So he had run.

He wasn’t sure what to do.

 

Ventus’ heart was silent; the boy’s heart who had touched both of them was faint, but every now and again _feelings_ would leak through.

The warmth, the happiness, the… _camaraderie._

 

It made him physically ill.

He craved it but hated it.

 

He wondered

 

He wondered if she felt that way too

 

Wanting the light

           But being so damaged she shied away from it

She still had her light

   but her darkness was chained

 buried

_unyielding_

a nightmare just _waiting_ to burst out

 

The Unversed spawned from him in this strange world, that used children’s screams as power

He had been called here

Not by Xenahort

 

but by the _despair_

 

It fueled him.

 

Yet, as monstrous Unversed appeared, he grinned, thinking he would return to her

see if she was just as much a monster as he was.

 

\--..---..--.

 

“What a lovely day~” you grinned happily, twirling in circles around the front of your house. Reveling in the sunshine and the cool breeze, you slowed to a standstill so you wouldn’t get dizzy.

“I wonder where Vanitas went.” You mused out loud, placing your hands on your hips. You looked around, not seeing the raven-haired super model in any of his usual lurking spots.

After your visit to the Keyblade Graveyard, Vanitas had brought you back to Nowhere. Then, as per usual Vanitas fashion, he vanished again. It had only been a couple of days since he had left, but you were still somewhat worried. Where was he? Was he okay? Why did you care so much? Were these…. ** _actual_** _feelings_?!

Of course they were.

Well, fuck.

You _had_ already gotten kind of attached to the guy, minus his threats and whatnot. So naturally when all of the _feels_ had been spoken about (sort of) you realized that the huge fuckin’ walls you had built around your heart were slowly crumbling (which was terrifying).

 

**_F e e l i n g s ._ **

 

You hadn’t had to deal with feelings in forever. So, like a responsible adult, which you were, you ignored them.

It was such a lovely fucking day. It was amazing. The sky was a brilliant blue hue, clear of all clouds, birds were singing, all of your chores were done, so you had nothing to do but sit and be alone with your thoughts.

 

Which was bad.

 

You sighed, going into your house. You grabbed a small bag, a couple necessities, and glanced at Dawn, leaning forlornly against the wall.

…

…

…

You left the house with Dawn, the keyblade feeling somewhat strange in your hand. You didn’t really have a plan but you were going to go out into the woods, and you _had_ been hearing some strange and somewhat eerie noises at night lately, so better to be safe than sorry (even if Dawn was only really good for whacking stuff these days).

So, with some food and water and a half decent weapon, you headed off towards the woods (which coincidentally were not far).

 

You had walked these woods countless times. It went further than you could walk in a single day, and you had never been super excited about the idea of camping out to see just how far it went. There was, however, wild berry bushes further in, and berries were fucking delicious.

Walking was super exciting.

So exciting.

You loved it.

So much.

So. Much. Fun.

 

Time passed as time does, the sun sinking lower in the sky, the rays of light filtering beautifully through the tree branches. The woods weren’t dense enough to be scary, but there also wasn’t a solid path either (not like anyone else ever walked these woods).

It was quiet.

 _Too_ quiet.

You realized it had been some time since you had heard any birds. Or seen any animals. _Maybe I should turn around…_ you glanced up into the trees, realizing it was later than you had thought.

“Well shit.” You decided to turn around and head back. Taking care to be aware of your surroundings, you couldn’t help but feel like you were being watched.

Some bushes rustled nearby, and you felt the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. You swallowed nervously.

“Yeah….. ** _nope_**.” you briefly thought about the berries you hadn’t found yet, but decided to book it back to your house. Mid stride, however, you tripped, flailing helplessly as you collided with the ground. Groaning, you pushed yourself up onto your elbows, and came face to face with…well, you didn’t know what it was, but you had definitely never seen it before. It was small and humanoid, green in color. Its hands were silver and ended in three-fingered claws, the head was diamond-shaped and sported two short horns on either side of it. Its red eyes were set in a… _sorrowful_? expression and it was (presumably) staring at you. It also had a weird heart shaped logo on its chest; maybe you were supposed to know what that meant (but you didn’t).

“Um.” The whatever it was spasmed, and about ten more appeared behind it. “ _What in the actual fuck-_ “ scrambling to your feet, broken Dawn in one hand, you took a couple steps back, not sure what these creatures were. The creature closest to you jumped at you, raising its claws to strike, but you hit it back with Dawn, taking a few more steps back.

 _This was not going to end well if you stayed put_. Your brain quickly came up with a solution; these things were between you and home so you had to go around or go deeper in. You didn’t want to go deeper in (because if these things were _here_ who’s to say there weren’t more further in), so you tried to skirt around them.

They weren’t letting you.

Of course not.

‘Noping’ your way out of this situation didn’t seem feasible.

“Son of a –” you whacked away one of the creatures as it jumped at you, and you decided to run deeper in. If all else failed, you _did_ know how to climb trees.

The creatures followed you, and you blindly ran deeper into the woods. On occasion one would manage to scratch you, so after a solid ten-minute sprint you were not only getting winded but now you were bleeding in various spots.

Fanfuckingtastic.

This current predicament brought on memories.

Nasty memories.

Flashbacks you thought you had gotten past.

In a burst of anger, you turned around mid-stride and swung at the creature with all your might, Dawn hitting its target. The creature screeched and vanished in a puff of black smoke, its fellows not stopping to care about its disappearance. Gripping Dawn with both hands, you let the monsters have it, with a fury you barely recognized.

Red and black had filled your vision though.

Hatred coursed through your veins as the memories kept flooding your mind.

Before you knew it, all of them had been defeated, and you stood there in the silence of the woods, breathing heavily, feeling the hate and the anger ebb slowly away. You closed your eyes, exhaling deeply. You tilted your head, cracking your neck, trying to shrug off the tide of bitter emotions rolling through you.

You let out a yell, your voice echoing around the empty woods, birds taking flight in the distance from the sudden noise. You relaxed slowly, letting your keyblade fall to your side, and you turned and trudge deeper into the forest. Why the hell not, at this point.

You didn’t even notice more creatures like the ones you had just slain popping up behind you, keeping to the shadows and following you slowly.

 

\--.--.--.

 

Of course it had started getting dark. You had no idea where you were in this stupid forest.

You were pissed off. Dirty. Kinda bloody. Tired.

You hadn’t felt this pissed off at life in a long while.

The _fucking. memories._

 

You came to stop near a large tree that looked like it would hold your weight through the night in its upper branches. The forest was cast in a surreal orange glow, various moths and other bugs floating about doing their thing, not caring that you were having a mental meltdown.

You leaned your forehead against the bark of the trunk, closing your eyes, your keyblade still in your hand.

Happy thoughts.

Happy thoughts.

Puppies and kittens and butterflies and _fucking assholes who can’t keep their hands to themselves-_

“ARGH!” you screamed again, twirling around in frustration, bringing Dawn down against the ground in fury. “FUCKING-“ thwack “BULLSHIT-“ thwack “ASSININE-“ thwack “SELF ENTITLED-“ thwack-

“You know…” you stopped mid thwack, glaring up at the sultry voice of Vanitas, trying to pinpoint where he was. His voice seemed to come from all around you though, and you huffed angrily. “I wasn’t aware you held this much darkness inside you.” His voice was a purr, and he jumped into view from the branches above you, landing about ten feet away from you. Despite the fury and hate boiling to the surface at the moment, he was still beautiful. The sharp angles of his face, the glow of his golden eyes, the stupid body suit he wore that showed every muscle he had…you felt your mouth go dry staring at him.

Leave it to your inner hate and anger to bring out the lustful side as well.

Go fuckin’ figure.

“Yeah, well,” you stood up straight, leveling Vanitas with a cool stare, “Shit happens.” Vanitas grinned at you; a cocky, self assured grin, and he bowed mockingly at you, never taking his eyes off of yours (which was sexy but you were still mad and ready to bite him if necessary ~~[and not in the good way]~~ ).

“I thought we could be broken _together_?” he cooed, taking a couple steps closer, holding his hands up, palms up to the sky, sort of mocking the phrase you had used at the Keyblade Graveyard. You sucked on your cheek, glancing away from him, but that was all it took- “ _Too slow_.” In the second it took you to look back up, he was right in front of you, having pushed you back against your tree, your head hitting the trunk as you were forced to look up into his hypnotizing eyes.

He really should not be allowed to be so pretty.

It wasn’t fair.

“I meant what I said.” You huffed, and he smirked, placing his hands on either side of your head and leaning down to be eye level with you. You swallowed nervously, realizing that if he asked, you would tell him _everything_ , and you did _not_ like sharing.

“If you meant it,” he drawled, cocking his head ( ~~adorably~~ ), “Why don’t we have a _chat_ about it?”

Son of a-damn it.

“Sure, why not?” sarcasm returns, hallelujah, “We can stay up late, swap manly stories, and in the morning… _I’m making waffles_.” Vanitas’ eyes narrowed. “I’m kidding, that was a joke.”

“It was a bad joke.”

“Well, _I_ laughed at it.”

“No you didn’t.”

“I was laughing on the inside.”

“I could see in your eyes that you weren’t.”

“Okay mister clairvoyant, I would love to _share_ with you about my awful past, but…” you realized the butterflies in your stomach were way overreactive today, “Could we like…sit…?”  Vanitas didn’t answer immediately. His face was awfully close to yours though. If you leaned forward, tried to kiss him, maybe he would forget about-

“Fine.” And he swiftly sat down, pulling you to the ground with him. You sat cross legged, facing each other, your knees almost touching. You blinked at the sudden change in altitude, and you swallowed nervously (again), gently setting your keyblade on the ground next to all the damage you had wrought upon it. You noticed your hands were shaking slightly from your nerves, and Vanitas was staring at you intently. You nodded, gripping your hands together, eyes firmly focused on your feet.

“Well…” you snorted, feeling your gut twist in and out, not entirely sure how you felt about sharing all these dark details with Vanitas. You cleared your throat, looking back up at him, realizing you couldn’t look him in the eye without wanting to vomit from nerves, so you looked back to your feet.

You took a shaky breath, “If you must know, my life hasn’t always been sunshine and daisies.” You paused again, remembering.

 

_< A/N: I had originally had a story written out for the awful shit, but I’ve changed it._

_In this space, you can put whatever awful sad horrible things have happened to you as though you’re telling it to Vanitas. Cool? Cool. >_

 

 Your eyes met Vanitas’, and you weakly smiled. “I am so _very_ broken and damaged. I don’t know what you’ve been through,” Vanitas’ eyes darkened, “but just know that I meant what I said.”

 

 _God_ was that _fucking **awful**_ to talk about. He probably didn’t understand half of the shit you had said but who cared.

 

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. 

 

“I was riven from my brother, Ventus.” Vanitas’ voice was quiet, his eyes downcast. You hadn’t expected him to share too, but you gazed at him, hoping against hope you would be able to understand his pain. “My master split us, physically. I am…” his hands clenched, “I am the physical embodiment of the darkness of Ventus.”

 

_< A/N: since we all know Vanitas’ story, I’m gonna kind of skip it cuz I hate beating dead horses. _

_Alright, gonna keep on goin’._

_Sorry to slow you down._

_*record scratch* > _

 

By the time Vanitas finished telling you his side of suffering, you felt infinitely worse. How could your pain even _compare_ to his? To make it even better, it was now dark, and you shivered involuntarily. Vanitas’ eyes met yours, and your breath caught in your throat.

“Vanitas…” you said quietly, “I am... _so infinitely_ sorry…” he didn’t say anything, he only watched you warily, “No one, _no one_ , deserves what you’ve been through.” Your heart swelled with affection for him, but Vanitas stayed quiet. “I know I can’t possibly understand, but I am still _so sorry-“_

 

\--.--.--.

 

He felt

             

 _better_.

 

It was a strange sensation.

/name/ was looking at him with such an intensely … _emotional_ gaze.

 

She even _apologized_ for what had happened to him.

 

Was…was she _crying_?

 

\--.--.--.

 

“Why are you crying?” he sounded genuinely confused. You brushed away the tears, wanting to hug the shit out of him but not quite sure if that was allowed.

“I’m just-“ you choked, hugging yourself, as if that would help, “You had it- _have it_ -so much _worse_ and…” you furiously wiped away the tears, hoping they would stop. Vanitas said nothing. From the way he had spoken, he was just as much this Ventus guy as he was himself, and perhaps that’s what made him move to sit next to you, your shoulders touching.

“It isn’t your fault.” He stated, not looking at you. He had his knees up, elbows resting on them, and you sniffled.

“Maybe, but-“

“We’ll be broken together.” His voice was soft, and when you looked at him, he was gazing at you tenderly, a half smile on his face as he looked at you. It was the first time since you had met him that you could find no trace of sarcasm or malice or anything else negative radiating off of him. You hummed your approval, _really_ wanting to get closer to him.

“Vanitas…?” he quirked an eyebrow up at you in response. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“We just spilled our guts to each other so by all means, go ahead.” You scooted just a little bit closer to him, hugging your knees to your chest.

“I’m…” deep breath. “ _I’mscaredofthedark_.”

“Ex _cuse me_?” it was if you had just told him his favorite thing to ever hear, and you felt your face flush even more from embarrassment.

“I’m… _scared_ of the dark…” you muttered. Vanitas now had a shit eating grin on his face, and he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. You squeaked in response, face burning ( ~~and loving this secretly~~ ).

“You should be _terrified_ of me then.”

“I-I’m not scared of _you-_ “ you managed to squeak out; it was hard to think properly with his face and his body so damn close to you. You _really_ wanted to kiss him. Like holy fucking shit did you want to kiss him, “I’m scared of…” your eyes jumped to the dark forest all around the two of you. With the two of you having your pow wow, night had fallen, and the forest was silent. It was so dark, if Vanitas hadn’t been right next to you, you probably wouldn’t have been able to see him.

Be that as it may, you could feel his hot breath near your ear as he spoke.

“Aww, little /name/ is afraid of the _dark_ ,” he chuckled darkly, “How _cute_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> imma be real honest
> 
> I'm a 27 year old adult female
> 
> and i'm scared of the dark  
> u-u


	8. Chapter 8

 

“I know it’s a stupid fear-“

“Don’t worry /name/,” ugh he was doing this on _purpose_ , speaking quietly, his grip on you tightening, “I’m scarier than anything else out in the darkness.”

“Vani, you are not helping.” He laughed, the sound echoing around the two of you. He let you go, standing up, and you scrambled to your feet, grabbing your keyblade, and despite any warnings in your mind you hugged him tightly around the middle, burying your face in his chest. He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he only chuckled, and despite yourself you found you truly liked being pressed flush against him.

“What are you doing.” It wasn’t a question; you felt his body shift as he put his hands on his hips, and you looked up, being met with the glow of his golden eyes. Stupid darkness.

“I uh. I’m hugging you.”

“I can fix that.” Within the next few seconds you felt a shift in your surroundings (must be one of his corridors of darkness or whatever) and it took you a moment to realize he had taken you back to your house. You jumped away from Vanitas, gently placing Dawn back against the wall.

“…thank you…” you whispered, hugging your arms to yourself. Vanitas cocked his head to the side, an inquisitive look on his stupidly perfect face.

“What for?” his hands were still on his hips. You sighed, moving to light a couple candles so you could see better.

“For bringing me back home. You didn’t have to.” Your voice trailed off as you shook out a match, the candles flickering quietly in the room. Vanitas didn’t answer immediately, but you could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. You realized you were still dirty and gross, and you felt your face burn.

“Hey Vanitas?” his eyes snapped to yours in response. “I’m going to go clean up. Um…” man, after that heart to heart in the woods, and realizing feelings were still a thing, you felt more nervous than before, “You’re welcome to stay, if you want…” Vanitas’ hands dropped to his sides, the light from the candles dancing around the room. He crossed the space between you in less than three steps, looking down at you, appearing more like a panther surveying a possible target in the night. He reached up as though to tilt your chin up, but instead his eyes flitted to your hair, then back to your face as he brushed some of your hair behind your ear.

“Where’s the fun if I’m _invited?”_ his tone was amused, a smirk playing on his lips as you felt heat radiate off of him (which did nothing to soothe your poor nerves or your desires). A heartbeat passed, and you could almost see the chemistry in the air around the both of you. The air was thick with it, especially with as close as he was to you, as though he were daring you to take it a step further.

“Well,” you shifted your weight, taking a small step forward, raising your face to meet his, all you had to do was lean forward and you would finally know what his lips felt like, “you never know.” Your voice was barely a whisper, thick with emotion, your eyes lidded as you gazed up at him. The blood was pounding in your ears, and Vanitas let out a sharp exhale, the gold of his eyes more intense than usual.

“Go get cleaned up /name/.” his lips were _hovering_ , the question was in the _air_ , you were _so close_ – “I’ll think about staying.” And he turned away to go stretch out on the couch. His sudden departure left you winded, and blinking, you nodded numbly, turning on your heel to go shower, mind abuzz with what _almost_ happened.

Once in the shower, you leaned against the wall, letting the water run down your body, and you pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration.

Did…did he have feelings for you too?

Or was it purely a physical attraction?

Because _holy hot damn tarter sauce_ was the attraction a real thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super short, I apologize.  
> I just wanted to give you all some fluff.  
> I'm gonna be traveling the next several days, so this is my gift so I can work on the rest of it whilst I'm gone. 
> 
> If you have any suggestions/ideas/anything you'd really like to see let me know, I'm writing this for all of you lovely people. :) 
> 
> ps: I want the reader and Vani to have real feelings with each other so that's why I've kept anything from happening. yay sexual tension! _I have no idea if I'm doing a good job or not (please let me know u-u)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIII 
> 
> I wrote this on my phone.
> 
> You're welcome :)  
> I apologize for any misspellings or errors.

You got out of the shower, drying off and getting ready for bed. It had to be close to midnight, but you lit a few more candles in your room (I know, running water but no electricity? Magic amirite) before you mentally prepared yourself for the let down of finding out that Vanitas had left.

 

You stepped into the living area, and lo and behold you were plesantly surprised to see Vanitas lying on the couch. He seemed to be asleep, so you went and grabbed a spare blanket to go lay on top of him. You tiptoed closer, the candles you had lit earlier had gotten much shorter, and you admired his sleeping form in the candlelight.

 

He looked so innocent, his eyes shut, mouth partly open, one arm hanging off the couch as his chest rose and fell slowly. He mumbled a bit, turning slightly, and you couldn't help smiling at him. Your heart felt fit to burst, and you stepped closer, gently draping the blanket over Vanitas. Of course he was still in his body suit thing (did he ever take it off???), and his feet stretched out past the blanket. You vaguely wondered if it'd be possible to take his boots off, but you didn't want to push your luck.

 

You gazed lovingly at him, still smiling to yourself, so happy he had stayed. You gingerly reached out, barely whispering your fingers over the tips of his hair, and you had to hold back a giggle; his hair was _so soft_.

 

"Vanitas?" You whispered, not actually wanting to wake him. You kneeled down next to him, your face level with his. His breathing remained steady, the shadows from the candles flickering around the two of you, and you gently brushed some of his hair out of his face. He was so beautiful it hurt your heart. How could a being of darkness be so damn pretty? If your interactions with him had proven anything, it was that he might have been born as the darkness, but he was not _all darkness._ And that was a very important distinction.

 

"I want to tell you..." Your voice was barely audible, but you didn't want to disturb him. "I believe in you Vanitas. We've bared our hearts to each other, and I believe that you can be whole _without_ Ventus." you couldn't believe you were doing this; _what if he wakes up--_ "Even in the moments where you've threatened me, and I could feel your hate and anger, you are so _unique_ and that is _good_. Even if the darkness is what calls you, I want you to know...it is not the circumstances of one's birth that defines who we are. It is the life we are given and what we choose to do with that life that matters. _You've_ shown me that. I just hope I can be helpful to you." Vanitas didn't answer; his leg twitched as he slept on. He must really be exhausted. As you've often done since Vanitas came into your life, you threw your caution to the wind. You leaned forward, brushing your lips across his cheek in the lightest kiss you could muster. Somehow he remained asleep, and you sighed, standing up. "Get some sleep Vani." You said affectionately, and you made your way back to your room, blowing the candles out as you did so.

 

\--.--.--

 

Vanitas opened his eyes after he heard her lie down.

 

For once, _he_ felt warm. Her words were loud in his mind, even if she had thought she was being quiet.

 

He lay there, mulling over what she had said.

 

He raised his hand to his cheek where she had pressed her lips to him. His fingers brushed the spot, and he felt a strange tightness in his chest. It wasn't painful. But it was _new._

 

_"It_ _is not the circumstances of one's birth that defines who we are. It is the life we are given and what we choose to do with that life that matters."_

 

His face felt hot. She had made him feel like this before but this was... _different._ And he knew what it was.

 

And it _terrified_ him...and yet...

 

and _yet_

 

He liked it.

 

**He** liked it. Not Ventus. He did.

 

He wondered at the blanket she had laid on him. It was warm.

 

It smelled like her fields, the earthy but comforting smell she carried with her from being constantly outside. Vanitas found he liked that about her as well.

 

The mere fact that he didn't hate her astounded him.

 

He kept coming back to her...but why?

 

He didn't _need_ her.

 

Then why

 

     he knew why

 

His chest felt tighter, his mouth having gone dry

 

Affection.

 

A genuine feeling.

 

A feeling that was _his_.

 

\--.--.--.

 

The next day found you doing your chores with Vanitas following you. Usually he never showed any interest in your mundane habits, but he seemed to have a mild curiosity about what you were doing. He didn't ask any questions; he just stayed about three feet away from you and observed.

 

The morning passed in relative silence, the both of you seemingly content to just be in each other's presence. By the mid afternoon though the feeling of his stare was getting to you.

 

You stopped for lunch, munching on some food, offering Vanitas some (which he declined with a distrustful look). You were both sitting by one of the fields, and you looked over at him.

 

He seemed to be deep in thought, sitting cross legged on the ground next to you. He was gently running his fingers through a small tuft of wild flowers, his brow furrowed in concentration. There was a gentle breeze, birds calling to each other in the distance, clouds drifting lazily across the sky. The weather here was always immaculate. Vanitas was still silent, but that was okay. You looked down, seeing some other wildflowers by your feet.

 

You were struck with an idea.

 

A wonderful idea.

 

You giggled internally, setting to work with the flowers. Vanitas probably noticed but he still said nothing as you set to work.

 

About twenty minutes later you had finished the crown of flowers. You glanced slyly over at Vanitas, who finally looked at you with an uninterested gaze.

 

"What?"

 

"Hold still for me." You scooted over to him, lifting the flower crown up but his hand grabbed your wrist before you could set it on his head.

 

"What are you doing." You felt your face flush, your heart fluttering at his touch.

 

"I want to put this on your head." His grip wasn't tight, and he rubbed his thumb across the veins of your wrist, his trademark smirk on his face, and he raised an eyebrow at what you said.

 

"Why?" Your heart skipped a bit, smiling weakly.

 

"Because science. For science. Its very important." No one can refute science as a reason.

 

"Uh... _huh_." Vanitas let go of your wrist, eyeing the flower crown warily. "....fine." You squealed, and moved over to gently place the crown on his super fluffy hair. You felt incredibly privileged to be placing the crown on his head, and being able to touch his hair. Vanitas was stiff, coiled to leap away if necessary. The flowers stood out against his dark hair and his tan skin, and you scooted away to admire your masterpiece.

 

He was scowling, almost to keep himself from smiling it seemed to you, but the look of him sitting cross legged in the grass, surrounded by flowers and the sunlight, with the crown of flowers on his head haphazardly stuck in his hair, was beautiful.

 

He was the picture of pure gorgeousness and innocence and your heart shattered into a million pieces as you felt yourself fall--

 

Oh no.

 

Shit.

 

You were _doomed_.

 

In that moment you knew.

 

The realization must have shown on your face because Vanitas' eyes met yours.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked, his yellow gold eyes meeting yours.

 

"Nothing." Your answer was way more breathless than you intended it to be--

 

"You're lying." it wasn't a question.

 

"No I'm not-" Vanitas grabbed your wrists, pulling you close to him. You ended up sitting right next to him, his hands eclipsing your wrists, with the way he was holding your arms you were leaning into his lap, looking up at his face.

 

"You can't lie to _me_." He said matter of factly, and you swallowed nervously.

 

**_Fuck._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to draw Vanitas sulking in a field of flowers with a flower crown on his head now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fellow humans, human fellas!  
> If you haven't watched Dragon Prince on Netflix I highly recommend it, because human Rayla is life. 
> 
> Let us carry on with heartbreak and angst  
> maybe  
> Also I hate describing things when we all know what it looks like so I apologize for that as well in advance

[Vanitas in Flower Crown](https://www.deviantart.com/thelcor/art/Vaintas-Drawing-791645083)

^^^^ my half decent drawing of Vanitas in a flower crown for your enjoyment

 

* * *

 

 

In your panic you blurted

“Have you ever been fishing?” Vanitas pulled you closer to his face.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“So you _haven’t_ been fishing.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Well you’re not wrong.” You grinned cheekily at him, and Vanitas ‘tsk’d’ before shoving you away from him, spinning in place to continue to pout away from you. You hesitated. “Vanitas?”

“If you aren’t going to talk to me then why-“ he caught himself, his voice thick with emotion.

**_Oh._ **

“Well…its more complicated then just…” your wrung your hands, trying to figure out how to say you had feelings for him without actually saying it, “ _saying_ it.” Brilliant. Good job. A+ for effort.

“That’s not good enough.” Vanitas stood up (flower crown still on his head by the way), his skirt thingy blowing in the wind dramatically. He turned his head, glaring down at you, the gold in his eyes alight with anger. You felt yourself pale, but decided to stand up anyway, glaring right back.

“Well how about we go _fishing_ -“ emphasis on the word is always good “and we can _talk about it_.”

“Why can’t you just _tell me now_?” he snarled, whirling around to face you fully. You could tell he was withholding from pummeling you into the dust. His fists were clenched, his body language screaming attack, his eyes almost on fire, the flower crown now having mixed into the folds of his spiky hair-

“Because you have a flower crown on your head, and you look _adorable_.” It spilled out before you could stop it. Vanitas screamed in rage, clutching at his chest as though to rip out his heart, and his keyblade appeared in his other hand. You instinctively took a step back, still watching him though as one might a wounded tiger. He glared at you from beneath dark bangs, and you felt the life drain from your body as his gaze hit your soul. You felt something shatter, your chest hurting, and you briefly wondered if you had just told him if this would have gone differently.

“You…” he was breathing heavily, his keyblade swirling with dark fire, “You are such a **_NUISANCE_** —” he leaped at you before you could blink, and somewhere deep down instinct kicked in and you leapt out of the way of his attack _just_ barely. Vanitas was still breathing heavily, smoke rising from the spot on the ground he had struck. (on a side note, the flower crown had fallen off somewhere in between)

“Vanitas…” you were wary; yes you had made leaps and bounds with him but you had never seen him this angry before—

“Why…why won’t yOU ** _FIGHT ME?!_** ” his voice was terrible, echoing around the two of you, and you raised your hands in a slight defense, and you swallowed.

“Well a) my keyblade is broken, in case you forgot,” ahhh there’s the glare of hatred, “annnd b) …well…” Vanitas straightened, poising as though to strike again so you started speaking quickly, “And because Ireallylikeyouokay there I said it.” Vanitas’ glare did not falter in the slightest.

“I’m sorry /name/,” oh shit did he sound pissed, although his voice was at a level tone now (and that was almost more frightening), “But I didn’t quite _catch that_.” Before you could open your mouth he had vanished, and you felt the telltale feel of a keyblade being pressed into the small of your back. “ _Say it so I can **hear you**_.”

Well, everybody has to die sometime, right?

“Vanitas…” your voice was shaky, eyes scanning the landscape around you. Had it always been so beautiful? Probably. “I like you. A lot. More than a lot. And…I like you as more than just a friend.”

**“Explain.”**

“Hahaaa well…” you let out the breath you had been holding, “Um. Its…hard to explain. Like I was trying to say _earlier_.” You sighed, the press of the keyblade still there. You decided to go for it. You took a step forward, moving away from the keyblade, and turned to face Vanitas, hands still raised low in defense.

He was pissed. Actual smoke was coming from him and his keyblade, which was still pointed at you. His eyes were focused on the ground, his breathing still heavy. Your insides were falling apart, emotions running in turmoil. You took a deep breath, and advanced towards him. He didn’t look at you, and you slowly moved closer, watching his shoulders heave as he tried to steady his breath. You could hear your heart pounding in your ears, yet you somehow maintained the exterior of calm. You moved into his personal space, and when he didn’t move, you gently wrapped your arms around him in a hug, one arm under one of his and the other over his shoulder, pressing him against you. He didn’t resist, he stayed tense, still breathing heavily.

“Vanitas.” Your voice came out barely as a whisper near his ear, “I want you to know that I’m here for you.” You felt him lower his keyblade, the sound of it vanishing reaching you.

” _Why_?” his voice cracked, the smoke coming from him disappearing, and you felt him lean into you slightly.

_Ever_ so slightly.

You snorted, letting a half smile grace your face. You hugged him tighter, your emotions coursing through your body. It was a strange sensation, but you wanted him to know, hoping that maybe your actions would speak louder than your words.

“I’m just like you, remember?” it was a little too soon to say the big ‘I love you, you idiot’ so you talked around it instead, “I don’t have to hide it from you. You know that I’m broken, and you understand.” You took a deep shaky breath as Vanitas let himself lean into you more. “I’m not going anywhere. I won’t leave you. I’m not giving up.” You felt your heart swell as the words poured out. “I will be here every single time you need a shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to. You can doubt it. You can push me away because you think I’ll just leave anyway but that will never be true. I don’t care if there are a hundred million reasons to leave…you’re the only reason I’ll ever need to stay.”

Vanitas said nothing.

His breathing had returned to normal though.

Also, he was getting heavy.

“You’re full of shit.” His tone was teasing, his voice muffled as he spoke into your shoulder. You couldn’t help but laugh, giving him a final squeeze before pulling away, keeping your hands on his arms. You tried looking into his eyes, and finally you were met with the beautiful golden eyes. He looked…ashamed? You gave him an encouraging smile, squeezing his biceps gently ~~(hot damn is he jacked)~~. He only held your gaze for a few moments, before casting his eyes back to his feet.

“I know I’m full of shit, but when it comes to _you_ , my dearest raven haired golden eyed beauty, I am not.” That was supposed to make him smile even a teeny tiny bit.

It didn’t.

“Vanitas. Its okay.” For the first time, you noticed some extremely faded scars on his face. You gritted your teeth, realizing that those probably came from that Xehanort guy he had told you about. For the zillionth time in the last few days you felt your heart shatter again. All these feelings were really starting to get to you. “Let’s go fishing. We get to sit by a river, relax, _and_ you still get to kill something.” You waggled your eyebrows, grinning, and Vanitas just continued looking like a super sad lost puppy that had been kicked way too many times.

It was either the tiger on the prowl, or a super sad puppy. No in between.

“Well. Why don’t we go down to the river? That always cheers me up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if this chapter is weird in its writing i'm sorry  
> also apologies cuz its short. 
> 
> its cuz I had a super shitty day today, I had started talking to a (real) guy and he seemed awesome and today he was like 'yeah this isn't gonna work cuz of your emotional baggage' (didn't say that exactly but that's what he meant) so
> 
> my feelings have been wrenched and diced  
> so i'm using my angst as a basis  
> i hope i'm succeeding because FUCKING FEELINGS MAN I HATE THEM  
> but i wanted to give you wonderful people an update. you're all beautiful and i love you. thank you for reading and sorry for crying


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> KINGDOM HEARTS 3 SPOILERS AHEAD from here on out D:  
> So if you haven't played the game and don't want spoilers, don't read ahead :x  
> BECAUSE PLOT

He watched from afar as the girl practically dragged Vanitas with her towards a river not too far from her cottage. He frowned. Who was she? How had she managed to stay alive with Vanitas so close to her for so long?

Perhaps the more earnest question was why did Vanitas suffer her existence so? He could end her in a heartbeat if he truly wished.

He had made sure Vanitas’ existence was nothing but pain. It was all part of his plan. Now, the final stages were finally in place.

Their interactions amused him. She was so clearly fawning over the boy, trying to get him excited about…fishing. What a strange, _boring_ notion.

He was in his oldest incarnation. He had thought Vanitas had perished when he and Ventus clashed, but alas, the Unversed had led him to this hidden world between worlds. A literal snippet of…perhaps, the _original_ world, where the time flowed so differently.

Vanitas was glaring at the girl, and he was mildly surprised Unversed didn’t spawn from him as he did so. He had made sure he was far enough away the girl wouldn’t see him, but he moved so that perhaps Vanitas might. No, Vanitas _would_ see him, because he had already seen the future.

\--.--..--..

“Fishing is _great_ , isn’t it?” you mused, mostly to yourself since Vanitas wasn’t really paying attention. “I love sitting here by the water, watching as my dinner swims by…” You had taken your shoes off, going in ankle deep with a fishing rod (magic) and casting a line out, hoping you would catch something. The river wasn’t particularly wide or deep, but it was usually full of incredibly regular looking fish that when you had a change of appetite, were good enough for food. The water was chilly at first but comfortable, the rocks a little uneven beneath your feet. It had been ten minutes or so since you cast the line, so you turned to look at Vanitas, worry plaguing your heart.

He was glaring at the water as though it had offended him in some way. He noticed you looking, and scowled, turning away to look elsewhere. He froze, the expression on his face a mixture of shock and…fear? You looked where he was looking at.

“What is it Vanitas?” your voice snapped him out of whatever was going on, and his eyes met yours. His eyes had darkened, his expression unreadable. “Is…everything okay?” He closed his eyes, exhaling, opening his eyes again to look at you.

“I have to go.”

“What do you—annnd he’s gone.” All the bravado you had put into fishing and Vanitas had up and vanished; again. You sighed dejectedly, pulling your line in.

\--.--.--.

“Look at what the Unversed dragged in.” Vanitas growled, giving Xehanort a venomous glare. Vanitas wasn’t sure why, but he knew the Master was not going to get anywhere near /name/, at least not without going through him.

And Vanitas couldn’t be beat.

“It is time for you to join us again, Vanitas.” The old man’s voice hadn’t changed, but the drawl that came with it still grated on his nerves. “It is time to join the battle against the light once more.”

“And why the _hell_ would I want to go with you?” Vanitas felt Void Gear spawn in his hand, and he gripped the handle tightly. Xehanort only chuckled, his hands folded behind his back, the usual telltale smile on his face, the golden eyes showing nothing but darkness.

“Because it is your purpose.” The man drawled, eyeing Vanitas as he stalked in a slow circle around him. “You must join with Ventus and become the X-Blade.”

“Ventus is missing, idiot.”

“His heart has been found.” Vanitas’ eyes narrowed.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.” Vanitas raised Void Gear, posing as though to attack the old man. Xehanort merely chuckled, which only infuriated Vanitas more.

“Do you really think _she_ is what you’re looking for?” Vanitas paused. “She will try to stop you from being whole, she wants you to remain broken forever-“

“What do you know about her?! _Nothing_.” Vanitas’ reaction was almost too quick for his own liking, the words out of him before he could even think them. Xehanort’s grin only widened.

Vanitas wanted nothing more than to wipe that stupid smile off the old man’s face but

fear

he was still

“I know you think she cares for you.” The grip on his keyblade tightened, “But you’ve seen the darkness in her heart-”

“ **We’re done here**.” Vanitas rushed forward, striking-

\--.--.--.

You were cleaning, whistling, trying to ignore the nagging anxiety growing in your mind and your stomach.

“Its fine,” you muttered, going outside and picking up a large stick, “Everything is _fine_ —” and proceeded to beat the ever-loving shit out of the ground with said stick.

Maybe because Vanitas had rubbed off on you, or maybe because you weren’t used to coping with these emotions anymore, you found great solace in wanton destruction.

I mean, your destruction was really just breaking a ton of sticks against the ground and surrounding trees, but it was definitely good stress relief.

After that stick had broken, you stood there, panting. You groaned, kicking at the stick’s remains. You shook your head, turning on your heel and brusquely walking off away from the house, heading in a direction you hadn’t gone in a while.

The landscape around you was serene. The wind was gently blowing, flowers blooming everywhere, the sky was blue as friggin always. You walked and walked.

Ignoring your feelings about Vanitas.

_For_ Vanitas.

The huge amount of convoluted emotions raging through you right now were enough to drive anyone crazy.

The world around you was rolling hills and green fields. Spots of trees dotted the landscape, lazy fluffy white clouds drifted across the sky. You could hear the birds, the sound of bugs, and the road in front of you just _s t r e t c h e d_ on. You just needed to get away from your little house and your fields and the familiarity of the area you’d been sharing with Vanitas

~~and making memories with him, of him~~

You sighed, glancing up at the sun as you noticed it sinking lower into the sky. Unafraid, you continued walking. It might do you some good to spend a night out under the stars.

Memories of Daybreak Town surfaced as you continued walking.

“I _do not need this_ right now.” You announced to no one, pushing the memories further down into darkness. It would be great if someone could just come and wipe your memory, because that would erase the feelings.

…

The image of Nightmare Chirithy flashed in your mind, and you shuddered involuntarily. The unseeing, red eyes…You would never forget Nightmare Chirithy, or the Darklings. Or the Keyblade War.

“This walk is not helping.” You muttered, kicking at a rock as you continued walking. “I don’t care. I do not care. I. do. Not. Care.” Maybe if you continued telling yourself that, it would become true. The wind ruffled your hair, and you stopped, staring down at the ground. So many things you had pushed down into oblivion and forgotten. So many memories resurfacing, old emotions and scars rearing their ugly heads. You sighed, looking back up at the sky, hoping maybe your problems would be solved by doing so.

“The truth is, you _do_ care…idiot.” You said to no one. You wondered what had happened to _your_ Chirithy. Skuld, Ephemer, Foreteller Ava…and Foreteller Gula…

_You forgot about them **all**. _The darkness whispered in the back of your mind.

_It was too painful to remember._ The opposing light whispered back, and you shoved your hands in your pockets, closing your eyes. Whatever the reason, it didn’t feel right that you hadn’t thought about any of them in so long. They were all probably long since dead anyway, if what Vanitas had shown you was any proof.

The Keyblade Graveyard.

If only…!!

“If only I had a keyblade that wasn’t broken…” you muttered, opening your eyes. The world in front of you hadn’t changed. Instead, you felt a longing in your heart you hadn’t realized had been growing ever since Vanitas had (literally) crashed into your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously the more I delve into this the more I don't understand why Vanitas decided to chill with the Norts.  
> So  
> as a fanfiction writer
> 
> i have made this make more sense (hopefully) ((at least to me))  
> Much brain racking and brain storming and plotting has gone into this  
> I do hope you all like where you think i'm taking it  
> I wanted to post this so you all know i haven't forgotten you  
> TO BE CONTINUED...


	12. Chapter 12

Deciding that sleeping in a bed was better than sleeping in the grass and waking up with itches and bugs and the sun sweltering down, you had begrudgingly turned around to trek back to your house. The sun had begun to set, and you finally made it into your house. You shut the door behind you, leaning against the wood, closing your eyes.

_FEELINGS._

You groaned, opening your eyes, pushing yourself up off the door and you took a look around your little house.

Why would he be here? He wouldn’t be. You need to stop getting your hopes up, its not like he actually _cares about you or anything_ -

“’Sup loser.” Your heart skipped a beat, once for your feelings and once for being startled as your neck cracked from spinning so quickly to come face to face with Vanitas, who was _entirely_ too close for your comfort.

“Vanitas!” you squeaked, a hand flying up to land on your chest. “Don’t _DO_ that!” as if the stupidly attractive smirk on his face couldn’t get any bigger, it did. And he leaned closer.

“Do what?” his golden eyes were teasing you, alight with emotions you weren’t sure he was familiar with.

“That. This. Whatever it is you are currently doing.” You gestured to all of him, and all he did was laugh as he moved to stand in front of you, cornering you against the door. _Fantastic_.

“You and I are going on a trip.” He practically purred, placing his hands on the door behind you, on either side of your face. You instinctively leaned back, head hitting the door, feeling your pulse quicken. For more than one reason.

“A trip?” your voice was still shaky, your knees feeling weak. Vanitas leaned his face in closer, golden orbs glowing with delight and possibly dark intentions. You could see the outer line of his irises, his spiky hair tickling your forehead, feel the head emanating from his body. As if you weren’t in a bad enough mental spot already, here Vanitas was, teasing you with his actions and his alluring self-

“You’ve been stuck here a while.” Ugh what his voice did to you was absolutely unfair, the heat going straight between your legs, “So I’m going to take you somewhere.”

“Out of the kindness of your heart?” fuck it was out before you could stop it.

“I do what I want, when I want it.” Anger flashed across his features, and your breath hitched. _Why was this turning you on? Whywhywhy_ \- “And I want to go visit a world I’ve never been to, and I’ve decided you’re coming with me.” May whatever force of nature that was out there have mercy on your soul because you would go anywhere for this man and it was almost like _he knew it_ –

“O-okay.” Your voice cracked, your face was on fire, the desire to kiss him was stronger then it had ever been before and it would be _so so soooo easy_ to do that right now – “I’m gonna change first, is that cool?” Vanitas leaned in closer, his nose almost touching yours, and you found yourself holding your breath. He seemed to be evaluating you, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Fine.” He abruptly backed away, the sudden distance making you miss him considerably. You swallowed, nodding your head, and you practically ran into your bedroom to change into some clean clothes.

\--- ---

_“She wants you to remain broken. To stop you from being whole, forever.”_ Vanitas growled to himself, forcing the recent memories of Xehanort deep, deep inside where they wouldn’t bother him as much. He prowled the main room of the house, Void Gear in his hand, his jaw clenched.

“I-I’m ready.” Her sheepish voice drew his gaze, and he felt his mouth go dry. He didn’t understand what she did to him to make him feel this way, but in an almost instinctual way, he appraised her appearance. Her clothes seemed nicer then usual, her hair down, and for some odd reason all he wanted to do—

“Good. We’re leaving.” He wouldn’t let himself finish that thought, summoning a Corridor of Darkness. He grabbed her wrist (purposefully avoiding her hand) and he dragged her into it, heading to the new world he had discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiiiiiiii i know it's been a while  
> I have not forgotten this story  
> I know this chapter is super short but that's because the next one is gonna be long  
> and that's a good ending place  
> long story short, my life has been a shit show the last few months but hopefully its all over and I can get on with it


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kingdom of Corona awaits~!

“Wow….!” Your eyes were wide with wonder, staring at the landscape in front of you, A small city was on an island across from a stone bridge, a castle sitting at its peak. The water around it stretched on, reflecting the summer sky and the small city perfectly. You could hear the sounds from the shore; Vanitas had stepped out of the Corridor here by the forest, and you were immediately enraptured by the sight before you. The wind gently blew your hair out of your face, the smell of salt water and various foods carrying themselves on the breeze. When was the last time you had eaten?

“….you like it?” Vanitas stood an arm’s length away from you, and you turned your excited gaze to meet his. His voice was quiet, as though he was nervous. His arms were crossed, his eyes watching you carefully. As though whatever you said would make or break him.

“ _Like_ it?” you breathed, your smile getting even bigger. “I love it!” Vanitas’ eyes crinkled at the edges, as though he were about to return your smile, his lips quirking upward, but at the last second he frowned, as though he wasn’t letting himself smile at this simple victory.

“Good.” He muttered, looking away from you, his eyes scanning your surroundings. As if your heart couldn’t get any bigger already, this man was something else.

“You wanted to bring me here?” you almost whispered it, completely incredulous that Vanitas would even _want_ to do something nice for you. You stepped closer to him, but his eyes remained firmly everywhere but your face. “This is the _sweetest_ thing anyone has ever done for me.” Vanitas’ cheeks turned bright red, and he made the mistake of making eye contact for a second. Oh if only you could kiss him and tell him how you feel-

“Whatever.” He muttered, stalking off towards the bridge that led to the city. You squealed with delight, following him. As the two of you made your way across the bridge, you couldn’t help but point out all the beautiful and amazing things you were seeing.

“Vanitas! Look!” you grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a cart towards the end of the bridge. There appeared to be a festival going on; there were flags and banners everywhere, people were dancing, there was live music, the very atmosphere of the city was abuzz with excitement and wonder. The cart was selling beautiful purple flags with a sun emblazoned on them.

“Are you two here for the festival?” the man by the cart asked, trying his best to not stare at Vanitas in his unusual attire.

“No-“ Vanitas started but you interrupted him.

“We’re travelers, so we just happened upon your lovely city,” you quickly chimed in, putting on your cheesiest love sick smile for this guy who nodded understandingly, “I gathered that this is a festival, buuut what’s the occasion?”

“About 18 years ago, our princess was stolen.” The man said sadly, removing his hat.

Well, there went all the good feelings.

“So every year on her birthday, the king and queen release thousands of lanterns into the night sky, hoping that maybe one day she might return.” The man put his hat back on, smiling. “And now its become a festival of sorts, an all day festival filled with fun and once the sun sets, we’ll release the lanterns. I highly recommend staying for it.” The man winked, and you felt your face burn.

“I see.” You spoke quickly, seeing Vanitas had opened his mouth to probably say something along the lines of ‘who cares’, “Well thank you very much and we’ll just go enjoy ourselves then!” you steered Vanitas away from the cart and onto the main thoroughfare before he could say anything to offend the gentleman.

“/name/.”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m trying to avoid making a scene.”

“I wasn’t going to make one.”

“Just trust me on this.”

“Why.”

“Because.”

“That’s not a reason.” During your bickering, you two had found yourselves in front of a clothes shop. And you got an idea. A wonderful, horrible, wicked idea.

“I have an idea.” You beamed, grabbing Vanitas by the hand.

“No-“ but you had already pulled him into the shop.

**[ several moments later ]**

“I regret bringing you here.” Vanitas grumbled from inside the changing room.

“No you don’t, this is fun!” you giggled, and you were only given an irritated noise in return. After looking around for a bit you decided that Vanitas should probably find something else to wear, because in his body suit he stood out like a sore thumb. So you had shoved him into a changing room with a handful of choices to choose from, and you waited.

However, you were not ready for the sight that walked out of that room, and you felt your breath hitch as he walked out.

Vanitas had (of course) chosen to wear a solid black button down, leaving the top few buttons undone so you could see his collar bones and the definition of his chest, and ( _of fucking course_ ) he had rolled the sleeves up to his elbows so you could see the taut muscles of his forearms. He also was wearing a dark red vest that really made it look like he fit in with the other townspeople. Outside of his tan skin and bright, golden eyes of course. The pants he chose were dark grey, slimming and well fitting, with solid black, leather boots. The thread on his shirt was red, which on anyone else would have looked bad, but Vanitas looked _incredible_. He had already shoved his hands into his pockets and was slouching like a rock star poser kid, his spiky black hair in disarray and his golden eyes telling you he was bored with the whole thing. Where his bodysuit had gone you didn’t know, but you were committing every detail about the sight in front of you to memory. Your mouth involuntarily dropped open, and Vanitas quirked an eyebrow up at your reaction.

When you didn’t say anything, Vanitas’ mouth quirked upwards in a smirk. He raised an eyebrow at you, walking closer. You had to shut your mouth, realizing you were beginning to drool.

“Like what you see, kitten?” his voice was low enough that only you could hear him, and you felt your entire body grow hot at his term of endearment.

“I-I uh, Vanitas, you look- ** _wow_**.” Your mouth was dry, realizing this was the most skin of his you’d seen yet. (man, neck and forearms, scandalous) The way he wore the clothes still didn’t make it so he fit in with everyone else, but he definitely didn’t stand out anymore. At least, not in a bad way. Now if he went on a murder spree, at least you’d get to relish being able to see the veins in his arms.

“Wow, _what_?” He leaned over you, very visibly enjoying the effect he was having on you. You stuttered, your brain short circuiting, the want and need in your belly growing by the second. His eyes were half closed, that horribly sexy smirk plastered on his face, and before you could stop yourself your hand reached forward tentatively to lightly touch his shoulder.

“Just… _wow_. Words. I can’t…words.” You literally couldn’t form sentences, your face on fire, and you turned away, burying your face in your hands, hoping that might alleviated the embarrassment you were feeling for so openly ogling him. You heard him chuckle darkly, and you felt him walk up right behind you, leaning down, his lips touching your ear as he spoke.

“I’ll get it out of you before tonight is over, kitten.” His voice was low, predatory, and dripping with confidence that had your panties soaked before you even knew it happened. When had the sexiness turned up a notch? Was it even possible? He gently blew air onto your neck, causing goosebumps to erupt all over your skin, and he chuckled darkly again before he swiftly moved past you and out of the shop. You stood there for a moment, clutching at your chest, trying to calm your erratic heart.

You paid for Vanitas’ clothes (you still had a bag of munny from your adventuring days) and exited the shop, looking around for him. People were coming and going, the conversations creating a drone, and Vanitas was nowhere to be seen.

“Vanitas?” you said loudly, hoping maybe he was hiding nearby. “Vanitas!” you called, hoping he would hear you over the crowd.

“What? I’m right here.” Vanitas’ voice came from _right_ behind you, and you jumped slightly, spinning to face him. You hadn’t thought it was possible for him to appear any more smug but he continued to surprise you.

“Why do you do that?” you huffed, feeling your face burn from embarrassment and…other, more confusing and conflicting emotions.

“Because it’s fun watching your reactions.” Ugh his voice was going to kill you. You blew air into your cheeks, pouting at him.

“Alright well,” trying to compose yourself, like the adult you were, “So now that we sort of fit in, what shall we do while we’re here?” Vanitas pursed his lips, looking around as though he was thinking about it, hands still in his pockets, before his gaze landed back on you.

“I don’t care.” He finally said, shrugging. You leveled him with a dead pan ‘are you serious’ look.

“Well. Since you brought me here,” you mused, tapping your foot impatiently, “You’re going to enjoy this festival with me.” He blinked.

“What?” as though he couldn’t quite believe what you had said.

“Well what _else_ are we going to do during an amazing festival like this?” you asked as though it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. Vanitas pulled his hands out of his pockets, suddenly looking like a deer that wanted to escape. You grinned, knowing you had turned the tables on him.

“Alrighty well let’s go!” you grabbed his hand (ohmygod you were touching his skin why was this such a big deal) and you pulled him into the crowd.

\--- --- ---

Some time later, you had thoroughly exhausted Vanitas’ patience with your constant running around. You turned away for a second and when you turned around, he was gone.

“Vanitas?” you had bought yourself a drink, Vanitas hadn’t wanted one so… “Annnd he’s gone.” The sun had started going down and honestly, you sort of felt the drain yourself. You downed your drink, placing the mug back on the cart, and decided to walk around. You hadn’t felt this content in ages.

The city was beautiful, and it made you smile seeing so many people enjoying themselves. The flowers and the flags, just everything that was happening warmed your heart. You felt confident that Vanitas would return in his own time. In fact…

“Hey Vanitas!” you called cheerfully, running up to him. Wait a second-

“Vanitas?” the boy turned around and your breath caught in your throat. What in the actual fuck. He looked _exactly_ like Vanitas. Except….different. “My name’s Sora.” You blinked. The hair was a bit different, a sunshine kissed brown, with the bluest blue eyes you’d ever seen. His outfit screamed “Keyblade wielder” at you though. In fact…hadn’t you once had a medal with his face on it?

“Sora?” you felt your head spin just a little bit. “I’m sorry you look…just like my friend.” Sora’s face broke out into a huge grin, and you blinked. Was that what Vanitas would look like if he smiled?

“That’s okay! Hey we were just about to go dance with Rapunzel, do you want to come with us?” a duck and a…dog? appeared behind him and they looked extremely familiar.

“Well…” you took another look around, checking the rooftops and hoping if you could spot Vanitas anywhere. When your searching gaze turned up nothing, you figured you might as well go with this…Sora. “Sure, why not?” you grinned, and Sora’s grin got even bigger.

“Alright well let’s go!” Sora grabbed your hand and pulled you into a square where a girl with blonde hair done up in a braid that reached her ankles was dancing. Par for the course, you weren’t even surprised anymore. You just rolled with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this, more to come~!


End file.
